


The Autumn Winds of Change

by FallOutFandoms



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Multi, Nonbinary Main Character, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, The Gaang Gets an Airbender, if a little more detailed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26707522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallOutFandoms/pseuds/FallOutFandoms
Summary: Qiu was having a normal day at work when three kids riding a delivery bin took out the roof of their boss’ shop.Unbeknownst to Qiu, this incident triggers a chain of events that ends with them being wrapped up in the crazy, stressful world of finding masters to teach the Avatar how to bend the four elements. As it turns out, the Avatar is still alive, and is also a twelve year old boy.And he just so happens to think that he’s the last airbender.Well, Qiu certainly thinks otherwise.
Kudos: 1





	The Autumn Winds of Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qiu was just trying to work. Really, they were. 
> 
> But when the Avatar crashes into your life, it’s hard to stay uninvolved, to say the least. 
> 
> Things are about to get a whole lot more interesting for the Gaang, and for the _very_ confused airbender they managed to run into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely readers, and welcome to my Entirely Self Indulgent OC-Insert Series Rewrite of Avatar: The Last Airbender! Mostly inspired by my recent rewatching of the series, I’ve been desperate to throw my character into the ring and give it a go!
> 
> I was also being eaten alive by the question: what if Aang WASN’T the last airbender? What if someone else out there found one of the regrowing herds of flying bison, and learned airbending through them?
> 
> And thus, Qiu was born! (Pronounced Chyo)
> 
> Their backstory will be covered in-depth in the second chapter, so please be patient with me. All that aside, I hope you enjoy the chapter! See you at the end!

“Qiu! Can you grab a few of those crates out back?”

“Yes, Mr. Wei!”

The rear door of a small shop swung open, and a teenager dressed in dark green robes peaked out into the alley. They glanced side to side before stepping fully into the narrow passage, approaching a few stacks of wooden crates laid up against the wall of the building. They rolled up their sleeves and knelt down, grabbing a tall stack of four crates and balancing them in their arms. The worker then turned on their heels and went to walk back inside the small shop. However, before they could even take another step, they were bumped by a small child who happened to be running by, chasing friends in an apparent game of tag. The child barely acknowledged them as they staggered once, though they quickly regained their footing. The crates, however, had already lost their balance, and were mere moments from toppling to the ground. Hazel eyes widening, the person holding the crates suddenly sucked in a breath before blowing it out forcefully, the strong gust of air pushing the tilting boxes back into an upright stack. Letting out a sigh of relief, the teen pushed the door to the shop open and carried the crates inside, walking them over to a stout older man near the front and carefully setting them down.

“Are these ones enough?” 

The man turned and looked the stack of crates over, smiling broadly. 

“Perfect! You somehow manage to always know what I need, Qiu.”

Qiu blinked once before smiling a bit as well.

“I guess I’ve just gotten to know you well enough.” They said quietly, almost sheepish after being complimented. Their boss, Mr. Wei, simply let out a chuckle.

“I guess you have. Now, I’m gonna start packing these up, so why don’t you pop out front and see if we’ve got any customers wandering around?”

“Of course.” Qiu agreed with another smile, nodding their head once before they turned and walked out the front door of the shop. 

The storefront had much more space than the back alley, a large paved walkway cutting a neat straight line through the city in either direction. This line was interrupted a few meters to the right by a transport chute, bins of mail and goods occasionally flying by the building. Looking around, Qiu noticed a woman who appeared to be window-shopping at the neighboring market. Putting on their best customer-service face, the teen went to approach the woman-

Only to freeze in place as a stone transport bin crashed onto the roof of the shop, sliding for a moment before its momentum shot it forward across another roof. It then teetered to the right and skipped off a building, resettling heavily on the nearby transport chute and continuing on its way. As the bin flew towards the slide and landed inside, Qiu was able to get at look at the cargo: or the lack thereof. Instead of supplies or packages, the transport bin contained three _children_. Qiu blinked once, processing this information for a moment before anger suddenly bloomed in their chest. Not only was Mr. Wei’s roof damaged, but he had been put in danger by three reckless kids who decided to play around with things they shouldn’t be messing with. Not wanting any of this to go unpunished, the emboldened teen took a running start down the paved walkway before jumping over the small protective barrier on the transport chute and dropping down. Cushioning their landing with a gust of air, Qiu then summoned a steady stream of wind behind themselves and under their feet, pushing them rapidly down the slide and towards the offending bin. 

One of the passengers apparently noticed Qiu, because they shouted something unintelligible before all three heads swiveled to stare at the teen in what looked to be a mixture of surprise and fear. Qiu simply narrowed their eyes and pushed themself forward with an extra burst of air. They were about to close the gap between themself and the kids, a hand stretched out to grab the stone bin, when it suddenly crashed through another bin and went straight over the edge of the chute. The teen gasped in shock before bending a large cushion of air in front of themself, using this pillow to avoid the same impact and, instead, skip harmlessly over the chutes edge as well. Qiu could feel that they were free-falling before they actually saw it, though this did little to deter them. Instead, they spun in midair and bended a large updraft beneath themself, slowing their descent as they looked around for the bin of children-

Ah. There they were. Skipping across _more_ buildings. 

Qiu let out a huff of annoyance and kicked off the wall they had been drifting beside. This gave them enough forward momentum to land on the nearest damaged roof, softening their landing again before they took off running after the offending transport bin. It was easy to follow the path of destruction, Qiu using bursts of air to travel between buildings. The trail eventually ended at a drop-off, and when the teen stood on the edge of the wall and looked down, they saw the three kids laying in a heap of rubble and destroyed cabbage cart. Qiu shook their head before jumping from the wall and landing in front of the pile of wreckage, a cushion of air visible beneath their feet before they settled completely on the stone ground. 

This clearly caught the attention of the boy in orange, his eyes going wide as he stared up at Qiu. The teen, however, was more focused on giving him a piece of their mind to notice.

“You three! What were you _thinking_? Look at all these buildings you damaged-you ruined Mr. Wei’s roof! Not only will those repairs cost money, but you could’ve hurt him! You could’ve hurt _anyone_ , this was so utterly stupid I can’t even _begin_ to-“

“Did you just, airbend?” The tattooed boy interrupted, voice soft and stunned and, if Qiu thought about it hard enough, _pained_.

“..um..yes, I did, why does that matter-?”

“That’s it, you kids are coming with us!” A nearby guard shouted, the rubble suddenly circled by angry earthbenders. 

The kids looked around in a daze, the two dressed in blue looking incredibly sheepish. The boy with the arrow tattoos, however, simply kept staring at Qiu, eyes wide and full of unnameable emotions. It made Qiu feel...bad? Shy? Intrigued? They weren’t really sure. But they wanted to know why they were being stared at.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” They asked, eyes narrowing slightly as the boy blinked at them.

“You’re an airbender-you’re, but you’re not, I mean I’m supposed to be, I _saw_ -“

The boy clearly couldn’t gather his thoughts enough to properly explain. And before he could get the chance, he was hauled up by a guard, the other two kids receiving the same treatment as they were dragged to their feet.

“Come on, we’re taking you hooligans to the king. He’ll decide what to do with you.”

The kids didn’t really have a choice but to accompany the guards, and Qiu relaxed a bit, knowing they would receive the punishment they deserved for the damage they had caused. The knot forming in Qiu’s stomach, however, refused to release. They watched as the boy in orange was escorted away, staring at his back until it couldn’t be seen anymore. 

Why did he look at them like that?

Why did he look so upset?

Qiu couldn’t understand, no matter how hard they tried to juggle their thoughts. Sure, they knew airbending wasn’t exactly _common_ , especially not in the Earth Kingdom, but surely they weren’t _that_ surprising to see. Right?

Qiu realized three things in immediate succession.

First, they realized they were an airbender. Obvious, of course, but an important note to make.

Second, they had never heard much about the Air Temples. They knew they existed, as their mother had taught them about every bending nation, but they had never heard anyone talk about them since then.

Third, and perhaps the most impactful; they had never seen another human airbender before in their life. Not even during the two years they’ve lived in Omashu thus far.

The knot in Qiu’s stomach tightened as they slowly came to terms with the fact that maybe, airbending wasn’t as normal as they thought it was.

They had some research to do.

Qiu slowly made their way back to Mr. Wei’s shop, using stairwells and walkways instead of gusts of air. They couldn’t bring themselves to airbend right now. As soon as they walked inside, Mr. Wei grabbed them by their arms and shook them slightly.

“Qiu! I was so worried, I thought you may have been injured! Where did you go? What happened?” The man questioned, voice loud with concern. Qiu took a few quick breaths, swallowing thickly before slipping out of Mr. Wei’s grip.

“I’m sorry..I, went to see what happened with that transport bin, it damaged your roof..”

“I see..well, I’m relieved that you’re alright.”

“I’m happy you weren’t hurt too...Mr. Wei, I need to ask you something.”

The older man looked up at the teen, thick eyebrows nearly covering his eyes as they furrowed in concern.

“Yes? What is it, my child?”

Qiu took another deep breath.

“Do you know anything about airbenders?”

Mr. Wei blinked before suddenly letting out a hearty laugh.

“Airbenders? Why do you need to know about that? They haven’t existed for almost 100 years, not since they were wiped out!” 

Qiu felt the blood drain from their face, and another realization stabbed them in the chest as the words settled in.

First, Qiu was an airbender. 

Second, somehow, no one else knew Qiu was an airbender. Not even Mr. Wei. Sure, Qiu didn’t use it often, but it’s not as if they had been _hiding_ it-...or maybe they had been, and Qiu simply never noticed. 

Third, and most sickening; airbenders didn’t exist anymore. They had been “wiped out”...

Qiu, in a twisted moment of irony, needed some air.

The teen stumbled out of the store, doubling over outside as a deep and unknowable panic slowly but surely consumed them. They blinked rapidly as they tried to control their breathing, heart and thoughts racing. They jolted as they suddenly felt a hand rest gently on their shoulder, and Qiu looked up to see Mr. Wei gazing down at them.

“I’m so sorry, Qiu, I hadn’t realized that would upset you so greatly. I should have been more careful with my words. You’re young, of course you’d be sensitive to such a topic.” 

“I..I’m going to go home..if that’s okay..”

“Of course, my child. You’ve done more than enough for me today. Again, I apologize for upsetting you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Qiu simply nodded and waited for the man to go back inside. Once alone, the teen slowly straightened up and began the walk home. Their thoughts were still racing, trying to find ways to explain away what they had just heard.

No matter how hard they tried, though, Qiu couldn’t manage to fool themself. They were an airbender, and airbenders weren’t supposed to exist anymore.

Well, that would surely explain the confusion from the tattooed boy.

But what of the other emotions Qiu had seen?

The upset, the sadness, the _pain_...

Qiu needed to see that boy again. Somehow. 

They finally arrived home, physically and mentally exhausted as they stepped into their simple one-room domicile and kicked off their sandals. They slid out of their green work robes and folded them neatly, setting the outfit aside and shifting their focus to the tight undershirt that was binding their chest. They debated with themself for a moment before pulling that garment off as well, replacing it with a looser grey version accompanied by white pants. Qiu couldn’t exactly afford much on their shopkeeper salary, but they were content with the tiny slice of Omashu they had made their own. They had food, clothes, a relatively comfortable bedroll. Speaking of...Qiu flopped down onto their bedroll once they were dressed, laying still as they worked on processing the days events and revelations. They eventually rolled onto their back and stared at the ceiling, the pale stone unflinching under the teen’s intense gaze. After a few more minutes of this silence, they rolled onto their side and curled up into a small, compact ball. 

Those three children had been taken to the king. Sure, they deserved some sort of punishment for the destruction they had caused, but Qiu quietly hoped that they would simply receive a slap on the wrist and be sent on their way. They _were_ kids, after all. No one ever said kids made great decisions. Sighing heavily, Qiu closed their eyes and tried to settle their mind enough to get some rest. 

Their body was able to fall asleep quickly enough. Their mind, however, had other plans...

Qiu opened their eyes with a start, looking around in confusion. They were drifting in a dark space with no discernible boundaries, no sign of anything or anyone else being present.

“Hello?” The teen called out, their voice echoing in the shadowy area. No response.

“Can anyone hear me?” They shouted, using a small motion of their hand to airbend themself around. Still nothing, still no one.

A moment passed, and suddenly a figure began to slowly approach from the shadows. Qiu stared at them, narrowing their eyes as they tried to make out who they were. 

“Excuse me? Do you know where we are?”

No answer, only the suffocating quiet as the figure drew closer. Qiu could make out some details now; whoever the other person was, they were definitely wearing some sort of armor. It had sharp edges and a relatively ornate design, though it was clearly made to intimidate. Qiu was able to identify some colors now, too; mostly a deep red, with a silvery white where a face should have been.

A soldier. Qiu could see that now. A soldier wearing red armor, hiding their face behind an expressionless mask.

Qiu couldn’t move. They tried, but they couldn’t lift a finger, couldn’t release another sound as the soldier continued approaching, stopping a few meters in front of them. Without a single moment of hesitation, the soldier swept himself into a bending stance and punched out with their fist. 

The helpless airbender could do nothing as they were engulfed by the flames, deep laughter ringing in their ears as they burned-

A scream dragged itself out of Qiu’s throat as they shot awake, eyes huge and full of tears as they tried to gulp down air. They were covered in a sheen on cold sweat, though it didn’t alleviate the feeling of the nonexistent burns. Qiu took a few moments to catch their breath before running their hands over their face, whining softly. 

They haven’t had a nightmare in a while.

Finally relaxed enough, Qiu looked around their room before focusing on the window. The sky was still dark, the the faintest hints of purple were clawing their way through the darkness. It was early, _incredibly_ early, but that was fine. It’s not like they could go back to sleep, even if they wanted to. The teen stood from their bedroll and smoothed out their clothes, crossing their small room to the table on the other side and grabbing an apple. Qiu ate it quickly, throwing the skinny core out the back window for the birds to have. With breakfast out of the way, the teen went about their usual morning routine. They pulled on a tight cropped undershirt, taking a deep breath to make sure it felt right before moving on to a silvery sleeveless over-shirt and dark grey pants, the two garments separated by a white and grey belt. Not typical Omashu fashion by any means, but they made Qiu happy, so they wore them out and about sometimes. Satisfied with their outfit, Qiu fluffed their short dark hair with a single hand before getting a drink of water from their basin. 

They stared down at their face in the water as they sipped from their cup, reflecting on the nightmare that had brought them to this point.

Why did they dream of a firebender, they wondered. They’ve never even _met_ a firebender, let alone been hurt by one. Confused and still a little shaken, Qiu finished their water before setting the cup aside and walking to their front door. They slipped on their light colored sandals and made their way outside, closing their home behind them before gazing up at the moon. It was still high and bright in the sky, though one could tell that it was on its way down for the day. Qiu hummed softly before starting to walk down the pathway leading away from their home, heading for the nearby staircase that gave access to upper and lower levels of the city. The teen decided to follow this staircase down for now, taking a long route to work to waste some of their excess time.

They wandered the roads and walkways of Omashu in silence, only the faintest click of their sandals against stone indicating their presence. Not that they cared. On the contrary, Qiu loved how they were practically invisible in the city, passing to and from work or the market without ever truly being noticed.

Come to think of it, that would explain why no one knew Qiu was an airbender...

Well, no one except that boy. Qiu paused, slowly lifting their head to stare over at the royal palace. How were those children doing, they wondered. Hopefully they had already been released. Maybe they had left the city already. They were clearly travelers, based on their wardrobes. Qiu let out a soft hum before continuing their walk towards Mr. Wei’s shop. The sun was rising now, bathing the highest points of the city in a warm glow. 

The roof was still wrecked when Qiu arrived to work. Sighing softly, the teen let themself into the shop and looked around quickly. Things seemed normal inside, the crates from the day before still lined up against the back wall. Qiu walked up the them and checked their contents before moving them aside and stacking them in the corner. From there, the teen began their usual store-opening actions; making sure shelves and display boxes were filled, checking the coin box for adequate change, looking over the calendar for any expected shipments. Those duties taken care of, Qiu began tidying the storefront up, sweeping dust and leftover shards of roofing tiles away from the front door. 

Mr. Wei arrived just as Qiu was finishing up their cleaning, the man smiling a bit when he saw the state of the store.

“Qiu, you spoil me. It wasn’t your turn to sweep today, was it?” The older man asked warmly. The teen smiled back. 

“No, but, I was awake, so I figured I’d come tidy up for you.”

“Well, I appreciate that greatly. I hope you’re feeling better today?”

Qiu let out a quiet noise, looking aside as they answered.

“Mostly better, for sure..”

“Great to hear. But please, do take it easy. You’ve done plenty extra for me already today.”

The teen simply nodded, and the quiet workday continued as usual. Customers would drift in and out, one occasionally inquiring about the roof. Qiu would answer that the delivery system had suffered a malfunction and a cart slid off. 

Not _completely_ false, but more than enough to satisfy to curious questioner. 

And so the hours passed. The sun rose to its peak and began its slow descent, and all the while, Qiu worked. They didn’t necessarily work _hard_ (Mr. Wei wouldn’t let them), but it was enough to make the time go by quickly. It was almost dinner time, and Qiu was reorganizing a few of the crates in the back when they heard footsteps enter the store. Mr. Wei was out buying their dinner, so the teen called out over their shoulder.

“I’ll be with you in just a moment!”

They hurriedly finished their organizing and straightened up, turning around with a wide, customer-service smile on their face.

Which immediately fell away when they saw who was standing in the store.

Grey eyes met hazel as Qiu stared at the boy in orange, who stared right back at them. Then his face split into a huge grin, the boy letting out an excited whoop as he rushed forwards and grabbed Qiu’s hands, his speed accompanied by a huge gust of air.

“It’s you! I found you again! Sokka, Katara, I found him, he’s here-!”

Qiu immediately tried to pull their hands away, eyes widening as their stomach did a flip.

“Hey, wait, I’m not-“

“Really? Aang, that’s so exciting!” The young girl in blue said happily as she followed the orange-clad boy into the store. The older boy, also in blue, followed her with a look of annoyance.

“Aang, I highly doubt you actually saw them airbend-“

Qiu finally pulled away from the tattooed boy’s grasp and took a step back, looking the three kids over in slight panic. The girl must have noticed their discomfort, because she looked down at the younger boy with a disapproving glare.

“What did you say to her? She looks freaked out-“

The older boy raised an eyebrow at that.

“‘ _She_ ’? Katara, I don’t think he’s a she-“

Qiu closed their eyes and took a deep breath before suddenly pointing a finger at the three kids. 

“You three, outside. I’ll talk to you, when I’m ready.” The teen murmured, voice wavering even as they tried to sound commanding. The older boy looked ready to object, but the girl took care of that by grabbing both boys by their wrists and pulling them towards the door.

“Of course, so sorry to bust in, take your time!” The girl said loudly before closing the front door. Qiu could hear shouting from outside, and actually smiled faintly before taking a few more calming breaths.

Okay. The kids were back. And the boy in orange was _clearly_ excited to meet Qiu. The teen grappled with this knowledge for a moment before nodding to themself. Now or never. Steeling their nerves, they walked over and exited the store, locating the kids quickly enough and wandering up to them.

“So..I guess, to start things off, hi. I’m Qiu, and, I’m not really a ‘ _he_ ’ or a ‘ _she_ ’. If you have to pick one of those to use, I definitely prefer ‘he’, but I like just being a ‘they’. If it’s not too much trouble.” Qiu explained, voice quiet and shy as they spoke. The kids in blue glanced at each other, seemingly confused, but the boy in orange just smiled again.

“Oh, you’re an outer soul!” He exclaimed happily. The boy in blue looked at him in confusion.

“A what-now?”

“An outer soul, someone whose soul isn’t a man or a woman. Don’t you guys know that?”

“We were never taught _anything_ like that..”

“Oh. Well, that’s what they are. More importantly, _Qiu_! You’re an airbender! Right?” The boy shouted as he turned his attention back towards Qiu. The teen blinked before nodding a bit,

“Yeah, I am..if I may ask, _why_ is that so important to you?”

The young boy’s eyes practically sparkled as he held up a hand. In his palm, a minuscule tornado formed, the tiny whirlwind drifting across the space between them and blowing away harmlessly in front of Qiu.

“Because I thought I was the last one.”

Qiu stared at the boy in shock, blinking a bit as he took a step forward and grinned at them.

“My name is Aang. This is Katara, and that’s her brother Sokka.”

“Hi. It’s, nice to meet you, Qiu.”

“Yeah, what she said I guess.”

“ _Sokka_!”

“Alright, alright! Sheesh! Hi, I’m Sokka, pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He deadpanned. Katara smacked his arm in annoyance, but Qiu just smiled a bit.

“Ah..well, it’s, nice to meet you all. Officially, I guess.”

Aang nodded in agreement before his smile faded away, only a stern determination left behind on his face.

“Qiu...I saw what was left at my home temple. I was told that the Air Nomads were all killed. So, I really need to know...how did you learn airbending? Who taught you? A parent? A friend? A mysterious elder in your village?”

Qiu blinked once before smiling again, rubbing the back of their neck slightly.

“Um...a family of flying bison...?”

Aang’s eyes widened in sync with Sokka’s jaw dropping, Katara herself looking at Qiu in surprise. The teen let out an awkward laugh before ending it on a sigh. 

“I think I should probably explain...let me start from the beginning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it folks, chapter one of my hyperfixation-fueled Avatar rewrite!
> 
> Got any opinions on anything? Any suggestions? Ideas?
> 
> Drop them in the comments, I’m always happy to hear anything you guys have to say!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! And I’ll see you and the Gaang in the next chapter!


End file.
